As promised the girls have given us their happy thoughts to comply with our blog award from Wilma yesterday.

I was a bit mean really and said that they could not pick their husbands, children or ribbon as they were MINE yesterday.

Bev was the first to reply - easy Ali

4. Sunshine - she hates the winter, but is all happy when the sun is shining.

5. Her car - Bev has a Beetle Convertible, so that's why she likes the sun to shine.

6. Internet Shopping - sad she knows, but since moving to Dorset she misses the shops that she used to visit in Reading and Internet shopping you can do while Syd and Sam are in bed!!

It took Rachie a little longer for her 3, claiming she had tons of work to do!!

7. Her Dogs - she has 2 golden retrievers Ollie and Chester aged 10 and 7

8. Being Smoke Free - Rachie is giving up smoking, but finding that she has to do more work as she is not nipping out for a quickie!!

9. Midsomer Murders - Did you know the New series starts tonight, Rachie must have told us ten trillion times today!!!

Number ten was down to Tony.

10. ME.

Blog award! I like blog awards this one is from Wilma, (I think all my blog awards are from Wilma!) Thank you.

The Crafty Team have to tell you 10 things that make them happy, well I can give you my top 3 it is easy. Ribbon, Ribbon and Ribbon - no that's naughty Ali!!

So here are my top 3.

1. Tony, without him there would be no tomorrow.

2. My two sisters Bev and Rachie and their wonderful broods.  I never wanted children in my life, now I just can not imagine it without these happy souls.

3. Ribbon - it just has to be in my top 3.  It makes me so happy. Way back in the begining I got told I could not make a living out of something I loved - how wrong were they!!!

As this is a team award I will get the others to post their happy thoughts tomorrow.

We have been working on restocking our exhibition stand this week, ready for the start of our French tour.  Poor Rachie has been glued to the silk unit all day, she left the warehouse cross eyed!!!  We (I) have brought so many new silk ribbons that she is struggling to fit them onto the stand.  Oooh! - we have also been having a play, and have 26 NEW shades of hand dyed silks in 4mm and 7mm.  (Sorry I just can not promise to get these on the website before we leave.) Do you remember "tie dying" at school, it's so much fun, but rather messey!!!!

Had some more challenge goodies arrive today so will try and post them tomorrow.

Ooooh I got mail this morning!!!!

Not that I was excited or anything like that, NO not me!

I have been trying to think up some new words to express these projects - but I have resorted back to WOW!  I must have said that rather loudly while opening the parcels, because all of a sudden I had everyone poking their heads into my office - then they all joined in!!!

Many thanks for all your emails and comments about my eye, it is much better and yes Tony is giving me a lot of TLC.

I am just rushing out of the office - bet you can't guess what I will be doing?

Yep - buying more ribbon!!!!  Before I leave, I wanted to share this email with you, from a happy customer that was in our inbox this morning.

This posting is for Marjorie, who wanted to see a pic of my new camera bag! How could I resist showing it off.  Everyone in the office seemed to be very relieved this morning that I had found one.... I have no idea why?!

I must show you the "Before" first.

Very BLACK, I had the choice of wearing it over my shoulder or on my belt.  Belts! in this weather - think not!!!!  So my quest for a girlie bag started, the plus point for the bag was my camera was well protected and fitted snugly inside. BUT I wanted a pink one or at least something that didn't shout geek.  To be honest it had become an obsession, I phoned and seached the world over.  Nope, not a thing.

So here is the "AFTER"

A small Kipling rucksack bag that is no larger than 30cm, has outside pockets that I can put things in and it is a scrummy shade of raspberry.  I did what Tony suggested and stripped the black camera bag down to the padding and sewed it into the main section of the rucksack.

My camera still fits snuggly inside.....

Camera strap folds up and fits ontop, zip it up and off I go!  I am not a photographer but definitely a point and click girl, my Canon does all the work and I have all the fun. Remember I went to the beach yesterday for a walk, well it was very windy and the boys were out having fun....  (rather pleased with this action shot!!)

Good luck with your rainbow bag Marjorie.

As promised here are a few of the photos we took at the Dorchester Carnvial on Saturday.  Thankfully the weather was very kind to us and stayed fine for the whole day.

OK..... Where do we start!  We waved our "Crafty Ribbons" wand and the pumpkin (truck) was turned into a carriage fit for a queen! See it in the procession photos below.

Losers of the Four Legged race who won the wooden spoons (same team as before!) and the winners of the race with their ribboned cup.

Sydney waiting for the procession to start, her little hands were filled with coins.  It's started I can hear the band.

Here is our float, covered in ribbons, bows and of course the Carnival Queen and her attendants.  All smiles and waving as the procession makes it's way around Dorchester.

There was just so much going on, over 50 floats and walking entries took part.  It was rather stressfull for the event crew at times, but they were able to spare a few moments for a photo call!

I hope you enjoyed the carnival with us, there were just so many photos, I only selected a few.  Although I have just heard that some of my photographs are going to be included in the special section in the local paper this week....... Will I get a "by line"?!

We were awarded GOLD at Dorchester Carnival yesterday.

I think you can tell from my smile that I was really pleased.  I have lots of pictures to share with you from the Carnival but I will do that tomorrow. 

Tony left early for Santa Pod (a car thing!) with the boys for Daddy's Day, so I have the whole day to myself YIPPEE!!!

I never know what I will find on my desk each morning.  Earlier in the week I found a packet of Breton Gallette biscuits - oh nice, so I got stuck in straight away.  Thanks Ali but rather dry I spluttered.  Dunk them in your coffee she suggested, that's what the french do. Yuck! but gave it a go....... OH!  Yummy!  Just like a victoria sponge, I like these.

Yesterday morning I found a little parcel with a tag attached saying - "Safety First Miss Mollie"

Ali had made Mollie her own Safety Jacket for the carnival.

It is gorgeous, even Tony went a bit gooey when he saw Mollie wearing it!

Where is the ribbon you ask?  Ali used 15mm black satin folded in half to edge the jacket, she said it was a bit of a fiddle around the arms, I have no idea how long it took her, but I think it is amazing.   Thanks Ali.

Rachie x

There has been a buzz in the air all day, when you walked into the warehouse the girls were all of a chatter (more then normal, said Tony!).  Why would that be you ask?

It's Dorchester Carnival week!!

Although we are based in Blandford, some 20 miles away from Dorchester we support the Carnival.  We make bows and more bows and even more bows, our warehouse is turned into a bow making machine.  Big bows to go on the Carnival Queens float, smaller bows for wooden spoons, if anyone needs a bow then we will make it.  The girls donate their time and we donate the ribbon.

We provide and print the sashes for the Carnival Queen and her two attendants, as well as decorating their carriage - which is not a gilded affair BUT a flat bed truck!!

The wooden spoons I mentioned are for the losers of the four legged race.  The same team have won the spoons for the last few years, they have them proudly mounted behind the bar!!  Rachie has a feeling they enter the race to lose, just for the spoons. They have already asked what colour the spoons will be this year!

The big event of the week is the Carnival Procession that takes place through Dorchester on Saturday evening, if you are in the area then come and have some fun.

For the last 2 years we have been given a Silver award for our work -  this year we really want a GOLD.  So if we take a little longer to answer the phone this week, then you will know we are knee deep in BOWS and CARNIVAL CLOBBER.

Wish us luck.

The girls all took part in our local Race for Life in Dorchester on Sunday. If you have ever attended  a Race for Life you will be fully aware of the emotions this event evokes,  3500 women and girls mostly dressed in pink is a site to be seen, I challenge anyone to leave without shedding a tear.

This day was in Memory of Zena and Arthur, the girls Mother and Father, both lost to cancer.

It was a very hot day and armed with bottles of water and factor 30 they beat last years time.

I am very proud of you girls, and so would your parents be...

Tony